Input Devices Guide

Mobile Warrior

Mobile Warrior

Razer is a brand that has become synonymous with gaming. Ever since its inception, the company has been dedicated to churning out the best gaming peripherals. Previously, Razer made history by releasing its first ever wireless gaming mouse, the magnificent Mamba. Now, it is building on the success of the Mamba by chalking up yet another first.

Named after the mythical Japanese eight-forked serpent, the Orochi you see here is not only Razer's first portable gaming mouse, it is also its first ever Bluetooth mouse. Naturally, we had to check it out for ourselves.

Mr Petite

As befits a portable mouse, the Orochi is really small. While this makes it easy to carry around, using it proved to be a bit tricky and required an adjustment period. Instead of resting your entire palm on the mouse, you have to use the Orochi by flicking and guiding it with greater use of your fingers. A fair enough trade off for portability.

The Orochi is also Razer's first ever Bluetooth mice, and getting it to sync with our computer was a breeze. You can also use the Orochi in wired mode if preferred and in fact, it is rated to perform better in wired mode. When connected to your computer via the provided USB cable, the Orochi tracks up to 4000 DPI and polls up to 1000Hz, giving it a 1ms response time. In Bluetooth mode, however, performance takes a dip as the Orochi is only able to track up to 2000 DPI and has a lower polling rate of 125Hz and 8ms response time.

When it comes to the gaming aspect, the Orochi has everything you expect. It features Razer's Precision 3G laser sensor, its built-in Synapse onboard memory for saving macros, side buttons, ultra-slick Teflon feet and on-the-fly sensitivity adjustment.

For Road Gamers

Usually, when one thinks of portable mice, it's common to think of them as being inadequate for gaming, but the Orochi breaks that mold. Thanks to its ultra-high resolution scanner and super-quick sampling rate, the Orochi is able to match up against the best gaming mice.

The Orochi works well enough wirelessly, but if you are craving for that extra precision and fluidity, wired mode is the way to go. The extra 2000 DPI and quicker 1ms response time made a discernible difference in performance. Our only problem with using it in wired mode is that the bundled USB cable is far too short for our liking.

But despite it working well, its small size remains its biggest stumbling block mainly because it is not the most comfortable mouse in the world. For those who are not used to a mouse of such petite dimensions, you'll find your fingers tiring out after about an hour of intense use. With that in mind, it probably won't be ideal for overnight LAN gaming parties.

Final Thoughts

Razer's first portable gaming mouse is mostly a hit. For its size, it is packed full with features. And in terms of performance, it is wonderfully precise and fluid, whether in wired or wireless mode. The only problem we foresee is its small size, which would certainly require some getting use to.